This is my first taste of The Slackers; however they’ve been around for sometime. Hailing from NYC the band has established itself as America’s number one performer of old time Jamaican music. Inspired by Ska and Rock Steady, influences also include; Jazz, Blues, Soul and Rock n Roll. The Slackers produce a truly unique and original sound without losing the essence of its roots. Several band members have been personally taught by Jamaican originators, such as The Skatalites and The Upsetters.

For this release the band have teamed up with LA’s infamous DJ Boss Harmony; his unique style has created a real jamming session sound with added ambient sounds and the odd tweak here and there. This is also the first signing for Rockers Revolt, the independent record label owned and managed by Pama International.

For all of you who thrive on their Ska, early reggae and Rock Steady you’re in for a massive treat. Please don’t let this comment put the rest of you off, as this album will appeal to a huge range of music lovers. The opening track is an original Slackers tune entitled ‘Robots’ and is a real funky little cut with some insightfully themed lyrics about the negativity of our society. ‘Feed My Girl Ska’ is an ode to that real old time Jamaican sound and reminds me of The Skatalites – a feature of many tracks is the exquisite horn sound that these guys can produce and this tune highlights the point. ‘Funk Week’ is the first instrumental cut and continues the amazing horn playing theme. This tune could easily appear on a Soul Jazz release and stands out as a personal favourite.

The band’s first cover, ‘Mama Told Me’, is up next and what a cover! This is an awesome tune; they have infused this rock cut with a large dose of Trojan era reggae, psychedelic organs and a fantastic sax solo. ‘Mind You Own Business’ is back with that old time JA sound and clearly inspired by early Laurel Aitken. ‘El Gato’ is the second instrumental and remains firmly in that early reggae era. It reminds me of a 1960’s tune inspired by a Spaghetti Western movie. ‘Ska Boheme’ continues with the instrumental theme and makes a nod in the direction of opera mixed with a large dose of Skatalite! ‘Wanted Man’ is a cover of that good old tune from Bob Dylan & Johnny Nash and becomes a real outlaw reggae ballad. ‘Yer Still Blue’ takes a little trip to New Orleans, while ‘Minha Menina’, which is sung in Portuguese, takes a nod in the direction of Afro-beat, yet is very reggae and is completed with a sitar solo!! We’re back in old downtown Jamaica for ‘Lil Joe’ and this truly incredible musical journey finishes with the wicked ‘Body Double’, an original, up-tempo, horn infused cut.

This is one of the most original and unique albums I’ve had the pleasure of spinning for a while and will remain on heavy rotation for a long time to come!

Review by JumpUp

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